Green Consciousness in Commercial Printing

The modern age is a time for environmental awareness. Humans have now come to a point wherein we realize the grave impact of our actions on nature.

The industrial revolution brought forth more than just technological advancements and the onset of mass production; it has also led to the appearance of global environmental abnormalities, which has alarmed many people all over the world. This is why going green or green consciousness has become such a popular concept nowadays, and with commercial printing, there should be no difference. Here are some ways for you and your commercial printing company to contribute to the world’s effort in reducing waste and overall helping heal the environment.

1. Balance it out - Both printing and electronic media have its own pros and cons. It is up to you to make the calculations in order to determine the proper balance between commercially printed materials and the use of electronics. Too much of either of these things will certainly be harmful to the environment, because commercial printing introduces concrete wastes into nature while electronics can greatly contribute to a company’s carbon footprint and electrical consumption. While it may not be possible to make do without both, it is certainly possible to minimize the environmental impact by finding the right balance.

2. Recycle - Your posters and flyers do not need to be printed on freshly produced paper at all. Thus, there is no reason for you to waste money and raw material by having your commercial printer print on brand new paper. Whenever possible, opt for recycled materials with your printing ventures, and while at this, do not forget that there are also two other R has to remember: reduce and reuse. Reduce wasteful distributions of advertising materials and reuse them as much as possible for a greener environment.

3. Print with Green Ink - Papers are biodegradable, sure, and eventually they will be decomposed by the bacteria on the earth without much consequence to the environment. However, the ink on these papers can be the cause for the release of harmful and polluting compounds, which is why you should opt out of inks based on petroleum and the like. Printing with green ink is not to be taken in a literal sense, but in the sense that people should use soy-based inks and other less harmful inks in their printing requests.

4. Smaller does not mean less effective - Companies waste such a lot of money in ordering the biggest posters with big illustrations and big texts, even when it is possible to order smaller prints, which can be just as effective. Printing smart does not equate to printing big, and it means above anything else, you should be smart with how you use the materials you have printed. If you are just printing big to overcompensate for something, do not.

Commercial printing does not need to have a reputation for being a big contributor to environmental waste. While commercial printers think of new ways to reduce the harmful effects of printing to the environment, customers also have the duty of doing their part: printing smart by going green.